WICB cancels Bravo's match contract, serves him notice

The West Indies Cricket Board has sent a notice to Darren Bravo saying the batsman's match contract has been cancelled due to the "disparaging" remarks he made on Twitter about board president Dave Cameron earlier in the week. In an e-mail sent to Bravo on Friday, Richard Pybus, WICB's director of cricket, warned that if the batsman did not delete the tweet and apologise by Saturday afternoon, he could face further action from the board's disciplinary panel.

While Bravo has not made any comment in public, it is learnt he has not yet responded to the WICB. On Saturday, the WICB had replaced Bravo in the squad for the Zimbabwe tri-series for "inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour", which breached contractual obligations. While the cancellation of his match contract applies to the Zimbabwe series for now, it could include future tours. Bravo is currently without a retainer after he declined a central contract offered by the WICB for the 2016-17 period in November.

Earlier this week Cameron toldSports Max TV, a Caribbean television network, that Bravo was offered a grade C contract (the lowest of five grades) because of his declining averages over the last two years. He also questioned how a player would be motivated if he continued getting a grade A contract despite a slip in performances.

Darren Bravo was replaced in the squad for the Zimbabwe tri-series after his remarks about WICB president Dave Cameron AFP

Cameron had pointed out that the decision was taken by a team led by Pybus, which carries out annual appraisals of players. Pybus said Bravo's statement was a breach of his contract.

"It has come to our attention that on November 11, 2016 you published a tweet on your Twitter account (@DMBravo46) disparaging the President of the West Indies Cricket Board," Pybus said in an email to the cricketer. "We would expect as a senior West Indian cricketer, that you would recognise that your decision to vent your frustration online, as well as to denigrate the President of the WICB, was inappropriate and unacceptable as well as contrary to your contractual obligations to the WICB.

"Clause 9.3.1 of your match/tour contract provides that in default by you in respect of your obligations under the contract, WICB may in its absolute discretion cancel the contract by written notice to the Cricketer. In light, therefore of your breach of your obligations to WICB in clause 4.7.2.2 of your match/tour contract, the letter serves as a written notice that your match/tour contract is hereby cancelled."

Bravo was West Indies' second-highest run-getter in the recently concluded Test series against Pakistan in the UAE. Before that, he had a poor Test series against India at home, scoring only 139 runs in seven innings. Since November 2014, Bravo scored 1089 runs in 17 Tests for West Indies, a tally that is second to Kraigg Brathwaite's 1258 runs in 20 matches.

Pybus urged Bravo to acknowledge on Twitter the "impropriety" of his remark and stressed the batsman should not use social media sites in a manner that could embarrass the WICB or its officials, or bring the game into disrepute.

"We also request you immediately remove the highlighted tweet from your account, and desist from tweeting about WICB officials in the future," Pybus said. "We further request that you acknowledge, via your Twitter account, the impropriety of your actions and your recognition that your decision to publicly express your views on social media was not conduct befitting of a West Indies cricketer.

"I strongly discourage you from continuing to use Twitter or other social networking sites in a manner which might cause embarrassment to the West Indies Cricket Team, the West Indies Cricket Board or any official of the West Indies Cricket Board and which can potentially bring the game into disrepute.

"I ask that you also note that any further such action on your part, including failure to comply with our request above by 4 p.m. Eastern Caribbean time on November 12 2016, may result in further disciplinary action, including referral to the WICB Disciplinary Committee."